The effects of McCarthyism on U.S. colleges are considered, with a focus on the response of administrators and faculty members to the anti-Communist furor of the 1940s and 1950s. Perspectives on McCarthyism as a political process are offered, along with an explanation of how it gained so much power. McCarthyism is seen as having two stages: the…

Academic freedom is an elusive concept. Many university and college faculty members who purport to possess its protections believe they have a solid understanding of its nature and of the individual rights secured by academic freedom. There is some consensus on the meaning of the term in the academic universe. This concurrence of understanding is…

The Constitution of the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association (MCCFA) was approved on May 1, 1999. Included is a description of MCCFA's purpose, conditions for membership, organizational structure, and selection processes for officers and members of the Board of Directors. Affiliated with the National Education Association, Education…

The American Association of University Professors has censured the administrations of five colleges (Chowan College, Dean Junior College, Wesley College, New Community College of Baltimore, and Loma Linda University) for breaches of faculty rights. Censure was lifted for the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Northern Colorado, Sonoma…

Historian Joan Wallach Scott has served on the AAUP's Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure since 1993. She was committee chair from 1999 until this past June, when she became a consultant to the committee. To mark her transition from chair to consultant, "Academe" asked her to participate in an interview about her experience with the…

The relationship between faculty union mandatory membership provisions in a collective bargaining agreement and the rights of faculty protected by tenure and academic freedom are examined, and college options and considerations in negotiating contracts under collective bargaining laws are discussed. (MSE)

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Boston University faculty are managerial employees with authority to veto curriculum and personnel decisions and are not entitled by law to collective bargaining, reinforcing the Supreme Court's similar 1980 ruling on Yeshiva University faculty rights. (MSE)

Reviews court decisions related to the limited constitutional rights of tenured faculty members in State-supported institutions of higher education who face dismissal based on institutional necessity. Considers court opinions on what qualifies as "financial exigency" and "bona fide dismissal," and describes actions taken by the…

A statement by Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University Professors on the organization "Accuracy in Academia" is presented. External monitoring of in-class statements presents the prospect that words uttered will be distorted or taken out of context and have a chilling effect. (MLW)

Accuracy in Academia (AIA) is seen as a threat to academic freedom. Its activity is opposed by the American Association of University Professors for the following reasons: *AIA monitors will inhibit academic freedom, quality of academic performance should be judged through peer evaluation, and AIA has a narrow mindset. (MLW)

Discussion of trends concerning academic freedom compares the limits to academic freedom traditionally rooted in professional ethics and applied by the academic profession with the areas of protection prescribed by courts. It is concluded that even when generous, rulings have not necessarily been in the best interest of the academy. (MSE)

Increased appreciation of the commercial value of intellectual property has triggered a major debate on college campuses, focusing on two issues: ownership of intellectual property and use of copyrighted works in teaching and research. Because these raise faculty-rights issues, faculty must identify its claims and interests clearly and make itself…

States that part-time faculty--whose numbers have doubled in the last generation--are paid an average of only $1500 per three-unit class, are rarely included in the community college culture, receive no benefits, and frequently lack legal protective measures. Offers suggestions as to how these legal issues can be addressed and resolved. (NB)

The status of faculty unionization in American colleges in 1988 is reviewed in this newsletter. Information is given on the following: agents elected; activities of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), and American Association of University Professors (AAUP); "no-agent" elections; decertifications;…

Presents a theoretical construct for understanding job discrimination and affirmative action in higher education. Focuses on three areas of concern: (1) job listings; (2) use of the terms "qualified" and "qualifications" to purge competent Black job candidates; and (3) the role of publications in tenure decisions. Outlines strategies for…